 If I was to ask you what groups rebelled against the Roman Empire in ancient Scotland, what groups would come to mind? The Picks, the Caledonians, the Scots perhaps? How many would say the Mai Tai? The tribal confederation that inhabited the region of ancient Scotland just north of Antonin's Wall. Today I've taken you to the Mai At Hill and the locals near Stirlin. The name itself, the Mai At, means hillfort of the Mai Tai. In ancient times, this whole region would have been a stronghold of the Mai Tai. It is thought it marked the northern boundary of their territory. Mai hill near Frankerton, close to Pirachio, they grew up. About a 25 minute drive from here or a five hour walk for those who want to get their steps in. It is thought to have been the southern boundary of the Mai Tai's territory. They lived between the Wall and the Caledonians, according to Cassius Dyle, the Roman historian. Although what Wall he meant, whether Antonyng's Wall or Hadrian's Wall, is not quite clear. What is clear is that they lived in extremely close proximity to the northern frontier of the Roman Empire in Scotland, or Caledonia as they called it. So it is no wonder that the Mai Tai got into constant battles with the Romans. Exactly who the Mai Tai were is not 100% clear. Some speculation is that they had Norse origin. DNA analysis shows however that many modern Scots are descendants of the Mai Tai, so their ancestral line was not destroyed. The Mai Tai are thought to have spoken the common Celtic Brithonic language, a descendant of which is Welsh today. It is thought that the Mai Tai, which was a confederation of tribes around this area, came together around 180 AD in order to make treaties with Rome. Shortly after, Rome paid the Mai Tai coin as part of terms of the deal. Only a few years later however, in 210 AD, the Mai Tai rebelled again once more. It was a bloody affair, with the Mai Tai taking many Roman casualties. This may have been a response to a Roman campaign around that time, or it could have preceded it. What we do know however, is around 209 or 210 AD, a mass of Roman force of 50,000 troops headed north into Caledonia. They killed a mass, the Mai Tai and the Caledonians, and reached as far north as Aberdeenshire. The Romans claimed that the Mai Tai had broken a peace treaty, although it is not clear what the truth was. It may simply have been a justification for invasion. The invasion was led by the Roman emperor at the time, Septimius Severus, who, according to Cassius Daill, a Roman historian gave the following genocidal speech. We are not going to leave a single one of them alive, down to the babies in their mother's wombs. Not even they must live. The whole people must be wiped out of existence, with none to shed a tear for them, leaving no trace. It does appear that Daill borrowed this speech for dramatic effect, taking it from Homer's The Iliad about the Trojan War. However Severus' orders and mindsets were probably not too far from the tone of this speech. Archaeologists recently found a solid bronze hand that is believed to be made to honour the campaign and buried in a ritual by one of the commanders. In 2011 AD, the Mai Tai rose up once again. In the same year however, the Roman emperor Severus died. His son Caracela, soon settled for peace, with the Romans making a payment to the Mai Tai and 213 AD as part of this truce. The Romans soon retreated to Hadrian's Wall and there was never a serious Roman campaign north after that. Despite Rome's attempt to wipe the Mai Tai off the map, they outlasted the imperial eagle by centuries. Long after Rome had left Caledonia and the western Roman empire had collapsed itself, the Mai Tai still were going strong. A book written in 697 AD by an abbot on the life of Columba references the Mai Athe, which is probably just another spelling for the Mai Tai. Thanks for watching. If you would like to support this work through Patreon, buy me a coffee dot com or make a donation through PayPal, please do so via the links in the description below. Please remember to subscribe and hit the bell and I'll speak to you soon.